By Joseph Steele.
There’s a quiet hum of anticipation at Anvers Wines. The vineyard, draped in the rolling beauty of the Adelaide Hills, is entering a new culinary chapter with the arrival of Executive Chef Connor Bishop.
Known for his thoughtful balance of refinement and restraint, Bishop has stepped into Anvers at a pivotal moment, shaping a menu that tells the story of the land itself.
"I wanted the first menu to feel like a snapshot of the Adelaide Hills right now,” Connor reflects. "It’s built from what’s in peak condition and designed to move with the seasons.”
That guiding principle infuses every plate - clarity of flavour, a deep respect for the ingredient and a flow that harmonises seamlessly with Anvers’ wines.
Cooking with Restraint, Rooted in Place
Connor’s ethos can be distilled into three words: restraint, clarity, respect. It’s a philosophy sharpened by his immersion in the winery’s rhythms. "The vineyard and the seasons set the brief; my job is to edit. If a dish tastes like it grew here, balanced and purposeful, then I’ve done it right.”
His approach to simplicity is deliberate. "Technique should disappear into deliciousness,” he says. "I prefer three or four elements doing their jobs properly rather than seven shouting over each other. If I can take one thing off a plate and it tastes better, I will.”
This philosophy comes alive through a menu firmly grounded in South Australian produce. The rich dairy of Fleurieu Milk Company, Kangarilla beef for ox tongue, hapuka caught off Port Lincoln and Spring Ridge venison - each plays its part in creating a culinary map of the state. Native ingredients are woven in thoughtfully, completing the picture of land, sea and forest.
Dishes with Story and Soul
Among the dishes, two stand out for their deeply personal resonance.
The ox tongue dish is Connor’s nod to his English roots. "It’s an ingredient often overlooked, yet one I grew up with,” he shares. Brined, sous vide and finished over hibachi with smoked soy and yuzu kosho, the tongue is elevated into elegance.
Served with gingered apples and burnt apple purée, it balances richness with acidity and smoke, transforming a humble cut into a celebration of tradition and refinement.
Equally evocative is his reimagining of the classic pea and ham pairing. Connor recalls pea and ham soup as a staple of his childhood and here he reinvents it for the Adelaide Hills. Smoked pork hock is pressed with its own stock, layered with onion jam, fresh peas in dill vinaigrette, a buttermilk and lemon espuma and finished with cured yolk and garden flowers. It’s both heritage and innovation on a plate, resonating with nostalgia while rooted in the present.
The Dance of Wine and Food
At Anvers, food and wine are never separate stories. "It’s a two-way street,” Connor explains of the creative process. Dishes are often conceived with a variety in mind - how Barbera might cut through fat, or how Shiraz might complement smoke. Collaboration with the wine team fine-tunes each pairing, ensuring that glass and plate lift each other in harmony.
Tradition, Innovation and Local Responsibility
One of Connor’s favourite rediscoveries at Anvers is enriched dough - his tallow and thyme brioche is a nod to French tradition, but reimagined with rendered beef fat and herbs from the garden. Familiar, yet entirely of its place.
His sense of localism runs deeper than sourcing nearby. "Localism isn’t a sticker; it’s a relationship,” he insists. It means paying growers fairly, preserving gluts, designing menus to reduce waste and using disposables that give back to the land. Success, to Connor, is measured by the health of the community and environment that surround Anvers.
Looking Ahead
The Adelaide Hills are nothing if not ever-changing and Connor intends the menu to evolve with them. Lighter, brighter flavours will soon step in with Spring, while collaborations and playful events are already on the horizon.
"Maybe that’s a cheeky revival of my Candyland concept, maybe a collaboration dinner or two. Nothing’s locked in yet - I like the idea of keeping guests guessing.”
For diners, Anvers under Connor promises more than just a meal. It’s an immersion into the rhythms of vineyard and season, a story of heritage and land told with restraint, precision and care.
Each visit becomes a journey - through flavour, memory and place - leaving guests with a lingering sense that they’ve not only dined, but truly experienced the Adelaide Hills.
